§ Mrs. Anne CampbellTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on core research funding for the public sector research establishments. [14643]
§ Mr. Ian TaylorPublic sector research establishments provide a wide variety of scientific and technical services for their customers within Government, the research councils, academia and industry. These are supported by a varying mixture of "core funding" for a range of facilities or services, and funds for specific activities, often awarded on a competitive basis.
The 1993 White Paper "Realising our Potential" made clear our intention that Government research contract should be awarded wherever possible by a competitive process, as a means to ensure an efficient and effective service is obtained. The progress of Departments and research councils in implementing this policy is reported annually in the statistical supplement to the "Forward Look".